NZ Herald
  • Home
  • Latest news
  • Herald NOW
  • Video
  • New Zealand
  • Sport
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Podcasts
  • Quizzes
  • Opinion
  • Lifestyle
  • Travel
  • Viva
  • Weather

Subscriptions

  • Herald Premium
  • Viva Premium
  • The Listener
  • BusinessDesk

Sections

  • Latest news
  • New Zealand
    • All New Zealand
    • Crime
    • Politics
    • Education
    • Open Justice
    • Scam Update
  • Herald NOW
  • On The Up
  • World
    • All World
    • Australia
    • Asia
    • UK
    • United States
    • Middle East
    • Europe
    • Pacific
  • Business
    • All Business
    • MarketsSharesCurrencyCommoditiesStock TakesCrypto
    • Markets with Madison
    • Media Insider
    • Business analysis
    • Personal financeKiwiSaverInterest ratesTaxInvestment
    • EconomyInflationGDPOfficial cash rateEmployment
    • Small business
    • Business reportsMood of the BoardroomProject AucklandSustainable business and financeCapital markets reportAgribusiness reportInfrastructure reportDynamic business
    • Deloitte Top 200 Awards
    • Deloitte Fast 50
    • CompaniesAged CareAgribusinessAirlinesBanking and financeConstructionEnergyFreight and logisticsHealthcareManufacturingMedia and MarketingRetailTelecommunicationsTourism
  • Opinion
    • All Opinion
    • Analysis
    • Editorials
    • Business analysis
    • Premium opinion
    • Letters to the editor
  • Politics
  • Sport
    • All Sport
    • OlympicsParalympics
    • RugbySuper RugbyNPCAll BlacksBlack FernsRugby sevensSchool rugby
    • CricketBlack CapsWhite Ferns
    • Racing
    • NetballSilver Ferns
    • LeagueWarriorsNRL
    • FootballWellington PhoenixAuckland FCAll WhitesFootball FernsEnglish Premier League
    • GolfNZ Open
    • MotorsportFormula 1
    • Boxing
    • UFC
    • BasketballNBABreakersTall BlacksTall Ferns
    • Tennis
    • Cycling
    • Athletics
    • SailingAmerica's CupSailGP
    • Rowing
  • Lifestyle
    • All Lifestyle
    • Viva - Food, fashion & beauty
    • Society Insider
    • Royals
    • Sex & relationships
    • Food & drinkRecipesRecipe collectionsRestaurant reviewsRestaurant bookings
    • Health & wellbeing
    • Fashion & beauty
    • Pets & animals
    • The Selection - Shop the trendsShop fashionShop beautyShop entertainmentShop giftsShop home & living
    • Milford's Investing Place
  • Entertainment
    • All Entertainment
    • TV
    • MoviesMovie reviews
    • MusicMusic reviews
    • BooksBook reviews
    • Culture
    • ReviewsBook reviewsMovie reviewsMusic reviewsRestaurant reviews
  • Travel
    • All Travel
    • News
    • New ZealandNorthlandAucklandWellingtonCanterburyOtago / QueenstownNelson-TasmanBest NZ beaches
    • International travelAustraliaPacific IslandsEuropeUKUSAAfricaAsia
    • Rail holidays
    • Cruise holidays
    • Ski holidays
    • Luxury travel
    • Adventure travel
  • Kāhu Māori news
  • Environment
    • All Environment
    • Our Green Future
  • Talanoa Pacific news
  • Property
    • All Property
    • Property Insider
    • Interest rates tracker
    • Residential property listings
    • Commercial property listings
  • Health
  • Technology
    • All Technology
    • AI
    • Social media
  • Rural
    • All Rural
    • Dairy farming
    • Sheep & beef farming
    • Horticulture
    • Animal health
    • Rural business
    • Rural life
    • Rural technology
    • Opinion
    • Audio & podcasts
  • Weather forecasts
    • All Weather forecasts
    • Kaitaia
    • Whangārei
    • Dargaville
    • Auckland
    • Thames
    • Tauranga
    • Hamilton
    • Whakatāne
    • Rotorua
    • Tokoroa
    • Te Kuiti
    • Taumaranui
    • Taupō
    • Gisborne
    • New Plymouth
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Dannevirke
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Levin
    • Paraparaumu
    • Masterton
    • Wellington
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Blenheim
    • Westport
    • Reefton
    • Kaikōura
    • Greymouth
    • Hokitika
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
    • Wānaka
    • Oamaru
    • Queenstown
    • Dunedin
    • Gore
    • Invercargill
  • Meet the journalists
  • Promotions & competitions
  • OneRoof property listings
  • Driven car news

Puzzles & Quizzes

  • Puzzles
    • All Puzzles
    • Sudoku
    • Code Cracker
    • Crosswords
    • Cryptic crossword
    • Wordsearch
  • Quizzes
    • All Quizzes
    • Morning quiz
    • Afternoon quiz
    • Sports quiz

Regions

  • Northland
    • All Northland
    • Far North
    • Kaitaia
    • Kerikeri
    • Kaikohe
    • Bay of Islands
    • Whangarei
    • Dargaville
    • Kaipara
    • Mangawhai
  • Auckland
  • Waikato
    • All Waikato
    • Hamilton
    • Coromandel & Hauraki
    • Matamata & Piako
    • Cambridge
    • Te Awamutu
    • Tokoroa & South Waikato
    • Taupō & Tūrangi
  • Bay of Plenty
    • All Bay of Plenty
    • Katikati
    • Tauranga
    • Mount Maunganui
    • Pāpāmoa
    • Te Puke
    • Whakatāne
  • Rotorua
  • Hawke's Bay
    • All Hawke's Bay
    • Napier
    • Hastings
    • Havelock North
    • Central Hawke's Bay
    • Wairoa
  • Taranaki
    • All Taranaki
    • Stratford
    • New Plymouth
    • Hāwera
  • Manawatū - Whanganui
    • All Manawatū - Whanganui
    • Whanganui
    • Palmerston North
    • Manawatū
    • Tararua
    • Horowhenua
  • Wellington
    • All Wellington
    • Kapiti
    • Wairarapa
    • Upper Hutt
    • Lower Hutt
  • Nelson & Tasman
    • All Nelson & Tasman
    • Motueka
    • Nelson
    • Tasman
  • Marlborough
  • West Coast
  • Canterbury
    • All Canterbury
    • Kaikōura
    • Christchurch
    • Ashburton
    • Timaru
  • Otago
    • All Otago
    • Oamaru
    • Dunedin
    • Balclutha
    • Alexandra
    • Queenstown
    • Wanaka
  • Southland
    • All Southland
    • Invercargill
    • Gore
    • Stewart Island
  • Gisborne

Media

  • Video
    • All Video
    • NZ news video
    • Herald NOW
    • Business news video
    • Politics news video
    • Sport video
    • World news video
    • Lifestyle video
    • Entertainment video
    • Travel video
    • Markets with Madison
    • Kea Kids news
  • Podcasts
    • All Podcasts
    • The Front Page
    • On the Tiles
    • Ask me Anything
    • The Little Things
  • Cartoons
  • Photo galleries
  • Today's Paper - E-editions
  • Photo sales
  • Classifieds

NZME Network

  • Advertise with NZME
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • BusinessDesk
  • Newstalk ZB
  • Sunlive
  • ZM
  • The Hits
  • Coast
  • Radio Hauraki
  • The Alternative Commentary Collective
  • Gold
  • Flava
  • iHeart Radio
  • Hokonui
  • Radio Wanaka
  • iHeartCountry New Zealand
  • Restaurant Hub
  • NZME Events

SubscribeSign In

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Home / New Zealand

Holding girl in police cell for days unacceptable - Labour

Anna Leask
By Anna Leask
Senior Journalist - crime and justice·NZ Herald·
27 Sep, 2015 10:37 PM6 mins to read

Subscribe to listen

Access to Herald Premium articles require a Premium subscription. Subscribe now to listen.
Already a subscriber?  

Listening to articles is free for open-access content—explore other articles or learn more about text-to-speech.
‌
Save
    Share this article
Photo / Getty Images
Photo / Getty Images

Photo / Getty Images

Bad weather was part of an "exceptional combination of circumstances" that led to a teenager being held in police cells for four days because Child, Youth and Family could not find a bed for her, Social Development Minister Anne Tolley says.

Labour has said what happened to the West Auckland teenaged girl was extraordinary and unacceptable.

The teenager was "terrified" listening to other prisoners scream through the night, and tried not to eat or drink so she did not have to use the toilet in front of anyone.

Know of similar cases? Email here.

A bed was eventually found for her in a youth justice facility - in Palmerston North.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.
Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Ms Tolley said today that there was "an exceptional combination of circumstances" in the case, including "the nature and record of offending, availability of beds and the weather".

"I'm advised there was a significant risk to the safety of CYF staff in this case, and I would expect the agency to take any necessary precautions to ensure the safety and security of staff and young people," Ms Tolley said in a statement.

Youth justice residences are being investigated by an independent panel which is advising Ms Tolley about an upcoming overhaul of CYF.

"The panel will provide advice on whether there are more effective options , perhaps in a community setting, for some of the young people held in these residences," Ms Tolley said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"In its interim report the panel makes it clear there is an over-use of custodial remand - it forms 73 per cent of total admissions to youth justice residences, but 75 per cent of the young people remanded go on to receive a non-custodial sentence at Youth Court."

Jacinda Ardern, Labour's spokeswoman for children, said the problem of capacity at residences was not new, and it what had happened to the young woman was unacceptable.

"To have a young person kept in that situation for four days is unacceptable, and just should not have happened in the first place. Police cells are not designed to hold adults for long periods of time, let alone children.

"To learn that they don't have available beds for young women, it seems extraordinary, given it is well known in the sector that there is a growing number of girls falling into the category of needing to come into care and protection because of criminal behavior."

A judge has blasted CYF for taking so long to find the girl a bed and questioned whether the agency was meeting its legal obligations for young people.

Discover more

Official Cash Rate

Wheeler upbeat despite rate cuts

11 Sep 05:00 PM
Entertainment

Remember these? Our favourite kids TV of yesteryear

19 Sep 10:00 PM
Opinion

Mark Lister: Migration a blessing or curse

23 Sep 07:15 PM
New Zealand

House damaged in fire

27 Sep 05:31 PM

Judge Lisa Tremewan said the situation "frankly needs to stop".

Under the law, youths can be held in police custody only if the court is satisfied they are likely to abscond or be violent or if CYF does not have suitable facilities to detain them. CYF must try to find a bed for them at a youth facility.

The 16-year-old girl, who cannot be named for legal reasons, was arrested for the first time in May and charged with common assault, resisting arrest, possession of utensils for cannabis and disorderly behaviour. On September 10, she was arrested for breaching bail.

Her lawyer, Jenny Verry, said she had been recently diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and that was behind much of her alleged offending.

After the teenager's arrest, she was taken to the Henderson police station. CYF was notified, but as there was no bed available in the Auckland youth justice facility, she had to stay put.

The girl said: "It was shit. I felt like I was going to die. I was cooped up for four nights."

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

When the girl appeared in the Waitakere District Court on September 14, Judge Tremewan was disturbed to hear she was still in police custody.

"In my view this is unacceptable," she said. "I am very concerned that you have been at the police station since last Thursday night. That is not a suitable arrangement for you. I would have thought that something suitable would have been arranged by now."

The judge ordered CYF to find the girl a bed "immediately".

"In my view, the department needs to meet its statutory obligations to ensure that appropriate arrangements are made for female youth as well as male youth, particularly given this is the biggest city in the country. I am aware that it has been an issue in some other cases."

Those cases include at least four other teenage girls held in cells due to a lack of youth justice beds; one of them was pregnant.

" ... it frankly needs to stop," Judge Tremewan said.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Mrs Verry said sending girls out of Auckland was "a huge problem" and a rise in female offending was partly to blame. "There's not enough beds committed for them. It's really unfair."

CYF residential and high needs services general manager Nova Salomen said there was "flexibility around gender allocation of beds when the need arises".

"We monitor the gender allocation over time and modify it according to demand and trends," she said.

"Both male and female young people have to move due to operational requirements.

"If we have to move them away from their community it is for the shortest possible time ... This is the reality of operating a national service in a small country. However, we have the young person's interests front and centre."

Ms Salomen said it was "unfortunate" the 16-year-old had had to be held in the cells.

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

"That would not have been our choice. However, she was visited daily by a social worker and her wellbeing assessed. We are focused on the safety and wellbeing of all young people at our residences as well as our staff. "

She said the girl would have been transferred to Palmerston North sooner, but fog delayed her flight.

"And due to her refusal to travel, road options were not safe for staff."

Waitakere police inspector Rod Fraser said every effort was made to ensure youths who had to be held in cells were "as comfortable as possible and that they have a placement with CYF as soon as practicable".

"This is never an ideal situation for police as the police cells are designed for short-term adult accommodation with limited catering, showering and supplied bedding."

Save
    Share this article

Latest from New Zealand

New Zealand

PM dismisses Greens' rail idea, says roads first

New Zealand
|Updated

Entrepreneur arrested after 1kg of meth found in luggage, third Akl airport smuggling arrest in a week

New Zealand

'Your hearts need to be in it': Councillors share candid advice for candidates


Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

Advertisement
Advertise with NZME.

Recommended for you

'Quite terrifying:' The young baker behind Auckland pie shop's sellout success
Auckland

'Quite terrifying:' The young baker behind Auckland pie shop's sellout success

'Loud boom': Passengers recount frightening Boeing plane evacuation
World

'Loud boom': Passengers recount frightening Boeing plane evacuation

Student charged after high school assault leaves one injured
New Zealand

Student charged after high school assault leaves one injured

Solar panels and livestock: A new approach to farming in Waiuku
The Country

Solar panels and livestock: A new approach to farming in Waiuku

Atmospheric river set to drench upper North Island, waterlogged Tasman sets up emergency centres
New Zealand

Atmospheric river set to drench upper North Island, waterlogged Tasman sets up emergency centres

How IShowSpeed's chaotic visit became Lithuania's viral marketing gamble
World

How IShowSpeed's chaotic visit became Lithuania's viral marketing gamble



Latest from New Zealand

PM dismisses Greens' rail idea, says roads first
New Zealand

PM dismisses Greens' rail idea, says roads first

'High-quality roading infrastructure' the Golden Triangle priority: Christopher Luxon.

28 Jul 12:38 AM
Entrepreneur arrested after 1kg of meth found in luggage, third Akl airport smuggling arrest in a week
New Zealand
|Updated

Entrepreneur arrested after 1kg of meth found in luggage, third Akl airport smuggling arrest in a week

28 Jul 12:30 AM
'Your hearts need to be in it': Councillors share candid advice for candidates
New Zealand

'Your hearts need to be in it': Councillors share candid advice for candidates

28 Jul 12:30 AM


Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky
Sponsored

Solar bat monitors uncover secrets of Auckland’s night sky

06 Jul 09:47 PM

NZ Herald
  • About NZ Herald
  • Meet the journalists
  • Newsletters
  • Classifieds
  • Help & support
  • Contact us
  • House rules
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of use
  • Competition terms & conditions
  • Our use of AI
Subscriber Services
  • NZ Herald e-editions
  • Daily puzzles & quizzes
  • Manage your digital subscription
  • Manage your print subscription
  • Subscribe to the NZ Herald newspaper
  • Subscribe to Herald Premium
  • Gift a subscription
  • Subscriber FAQs
  • Subscription terms & conditions
  • Promotions and subscriber benefits
NZME Network
  • The New Zealand Herald
  • The Northland Age
  • The Northern Advocate
  • Waikato Herald
  • Bay of Plenty Times
  • Rotorua Daily Post
  • Hawke's Bay Today
  • Whanganui Chronicle
  • Viva
  • NZ Listener
  • Newstalk ZB
  • BusinessDesk
  • OneRoof
  • Driven Car Guide
  • iHeart Radio
  • Restaurant Hub
NZME
  • About NZME
  • NZME careers
  • Advertise with NZME
  • Digital self-service advertising
  • Book your classified ad
  • Photo sales
  • NZME Events
  • © Copyright 2025 NZME Publishing Limited
TOP
search by queryly Advanced Search